Research Paper in International Law War Crimes and the role of International Criminal Court An Analytical Dissertation

Abstract

War Crimes has always been a controvers ial and much-debated topic in contemporary discourse related to International Law. International Criminal Couti , spawned in 200 I, is a principal international judicial organ concerned with prosecution of War Crimes. It was preceded by multiple International ad-hoc tribunals mandated by UN to prosecute selective cases of War Crimes. Although they laid-down landmark judicial precedents, none of them were able to sustain itself as a perpetual judicial body. International Criminal Court was an exception. It has sustained itself against mounting pressures from World Powers that be. It has taken up multiple cases and concluded very few. Detractors of ICC have labe led it as an . African Court' due to its stupendous interventions in Africa. With all its appreciations and critic ism in context, this paper will attempt to dispassionately analyze the ICC' s struchtre, jurisdiction, mandate and its interventions in war crimes cases across the globe. This paper also proffers the reader a unique and an alternative insight into the details of various political interests that decapacitate its work ing as an independent body. Ultimate ly, it wi ll also examine up to what extent ICC has been successfu l in championing the uni versal and indi sc riminate app lication of rule of law